FIG. 1 shows a system for materials processing and for measuring by means of laser radiation comprising a laser materials processing and measurement device 10 and an apparatus 100′ for controlling or operating the device 10. The device 10 comprises a controllable laser 14 for generating a laser beam 16, beam control means 18 for adjusting the focus zone of a controlled portion 20 of the laser beam in three spatial directions X, Y and Z, and an objective lens device 22 for collimating or focusing the controlled portion 20 of the laser beam 16 onto the material to be processed. The material to be processed may be a biological tissue, such as for instance a portion of an eye 12, in particular a human eye.
An apparatus 100′ for controlling or operating the laser materials processing and measurement device 10 comprises a computer 102′ with a display means 150 for displaying operating states of the laser materials processing and measurement device 10 and/or of the computer 102′, input means 160 for inputting user commands for operating the computer 102′ and user commands and/or command sequences for controlling or operating the device 10. The input means 160 may be a keyboard, a mouse, a light pen or also a touch-sensitive area (a touchscreen) which may be arranged over a screen of the display means 150. The apparatus 100′ or computer 102′ further comprises user control means 120 for inputting and displaying input control commands or control command sequences and for monitoring the operation or operating state of the device 10. In order to perform their functions, the user control means 120 are in operative connection with the display means 150 and the input means 160 via an internal bus system of the computer 102′.
The apparatus 100′ or the computer 102′ furthermore comprises control means 24 for driving the beam control means 18. The control means 24 may comprise a user-operable switch 162, for example a foot switch, for switching the laser materials processing and measurement device 10 on or off and/or for modifying the energy or intensity of the laser beam 16 generated by the laser 14. In order to perform the above-stated tasks, the control means 24 are connected with the beam control means 18 via a bidirectional data transfer link 190, 110, 180.
The apparatus 100′ or computer 102′ furthermore comprises a command library 140 for storing and providing beam control information or beam control commands for the beam control means 18 and optionally for the control means 24.
The apparatus 100′ or the computer 102′ furthermore comprises an interface 110 for transferring data or information between the command library 140 and the control means 24 and the controllable laser 14 or beam control means 18 of the device 10. The interface 110 is in operative connection via a first bidirectional data transfer link 180 with the controllable laser 14 and with the beam control means 18 and via a second bidirectional data transfer link 190 with the control means 24.
The user control means 120 may comprise hardware, such as for instance parts of a data memory of the computer 102′, parts of a working memory of the computer 102′, parts of a display surface of the display means 150, a drive for operating a data memory, control commands stored in the data and/or working memory of the computer 102′ and user-specific software.
The command library 140 may comprise system-specific control commands and command sequences and software, such as for instance database software, for the laser materials processing and measurement device 10 stored in a data or working memory of the computer 102′ for organising, managing and updating the control commands and control command sequences.
The control means 24 may comprise system-specific control electronics, control commands and status registers for the laser materials processing and measurement device 10 for storing and providing status information regarding the operation and/or the operating state of the device 10. The control means 24 may take the form of a plug-in card with the necessary electronics and the necessary memory means for plugging into a slot of the computer 102′ or alternatively of a separate device with its own housing and its own interface 26.
The user control means 120 provide a user, for example a materials processing engineer, a doctor or an ophthalmic surgeon, with a user interface by means of which the user can operate, i.e. monitor and/or control, the operation and all the functions of the laser materials processing and measurement device 10. The user interface may comprise electromechanical operating and/or input elements, such as for instance switches, selector switches, rotary knobs, display devices, such as for instance alphanumeric displays, LCD displays, and/or also the above-stated input means 160 and display means 150 and software developed for system-specific driving of the display means and input means 160.
The apparatus 100′ described with reference to FIG. 1 for operating the laser materials processing and measurement device 10 has a disadvantage, namely that testing of the device 10 or testing and/or updating of the apparatus 100′ with the user control means 120, the command library 140, the control means 24 and/or the interface 110 may only be carried out if a completely assembled, operationally ready system comprising the laser materials processing and measurement device 10 and the apparatus 100′ is available. Providing a complete system is not always practical. A first example of this is when only the user control means 120 and/or the user interface operated thereby are to be updated. In this case, an operative connection 180 between the apparatus 100′ and the laser materials processing and measurement device 10 is unnecessary. A second example in which it is not practical to provide a complete system is when newly developed algorithms for operating the beam control means 18 are to be carried out, for example newly developed methods for materials processing and/or newly developed ophthalmic surgery methods, such as for instance algorithms for carrying out specific scans of the material to be processed or for carrying out laser-optical measurements on material arranged in the laser beam portion 20.